Apple has taken the unusual step of laying off around 100 people, according to a report. The move affects the company's digital services group and will involve people working on the Apple News and Apple Books teams.
The roles affected by the layoffs reportedly include engineering roles across Apple services teams, with Apple Books in particular becoming less of a focus for the company years after its launch.
However, the report cites an unnamed source as suggesting that the layoffs within the Apple News team do not mean that it is less of a focus than previously.
An unusual moves
The report, by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, notes that this is at least the fourth time that Apple has laid off a group of people in 2024. This is after the company had become known for not going down a route that has become increasingly common throughout the technology industry.
Services have historically been a key component of Apple's business, making the decision to remove workers from that division is particularly interesting.
Services have generally been a growth engine for Apple in recent years," the report details. "They accounted for more than 22% of sales in the most recent fiscal year, up from less than 10% a decade ago, and the rise has helped cushion at-times sluggish demand for devices."
Gurman reports that employees have been told that they have 60 days to find a new job within Apple before their roles will be ended.